The Natural Law Party is still on the ballot in Michigan and Mississippi, even though the national party no longer exists. On August 21, the Mississippi Natural Law Party nominated Brian Moore (the Socialist Party nominee) for president. The nominating convention was conducted by the party’s long-time state chair, via telephone with the other members of the party’s state committee.
By contrast, the Michigan Natural Law Party this year nominated Ralph Nader for president.
A hearing will be held in Minneapolis on October 8, in the lawsuit over whether the Minnesota State Constitution bars the use of Instant-Runoff Voting for Minnesota cities. Minneapolis voters voted to use IRV in city elections, but IRV has been blocked by a lawsuit that argues cities are not free to use IRV in that state. An initiative petition to put IRV on the ballot in St. Paul has enough valid signatures, but St. Paul officials won’t put the initiative on the ballot until the Minneapolis lawsuit is settled. The lawsuit is in Hennepin District Court (a state court).
On September 5, the ballot-qualified Constitution Party of Montana submitted its presidential elector candidates to the Secretary of State. The party informed the Secretary of State that its electors are pledged to Ron Paul for president and Michael Peroutka for vice-president. Ron Paul was aware that the party planned to do this, and has said that as long as he can remain passive and silent about the development, and as long as he need not sign any declaration of candidacy, that he does not object.
On September 5, U.S. District Court Judge John Copenhaver upheld West Virginia ballot access laws for president. Barr v Ireland, 2:08-0990.
The decision is 34 pages long. It puts heavy stress on the problems that a later deadline than August 1 would cause elections officials. Of course, if the state didn’t require so many signatures (over 15,000), the burden on the elections officials would be less.
Also the decision points out that the August 1 presidential deadline, combined with the 2% petition requirement, was met by the Libertarian Party in 2004, and by Ralph Nader in 2004. Also the decision points out that, this year, the Constitution Party and Ralph Nader qualified. Finally, the decision notes that if the Barr petition had started just two weeks earlier, it very likely would have succeeded.
On September 5, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court in Philadelphia held a trial on whether there is anything deficient with the paperwork that names Bob Barr as the Libertarian presidential nominee in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania law authorizes substitution. The Libertarian Party started circulating its statewide petition in February 2008, before the party had chosen its national nominee. After the petition was submitted, paperwork was submitted showing that the stand-in, Rochelle Etzel, had withdrawn, and that Bob Barr is the substitution committee’s choice to replace her.
The objectors had claimed that it was wrong for the party to continue circulating the petition (with the stand-in’s name on it) in the months after the Libertarian national convention. Bob Barr’s attorney put on witnesses to establish that the party simply followed normal procedure in Pennsylvania for presidential petitions, and that the same thing was done in the three previous presidential elections, not only for the Libertarians, but for other minor parties as well.
